Creative Team

Robert Chafe – Artistic Director, Playwright

Robert Chafe is a playwright based in St. John’s, whose work has been seen across Canada, the UK, Australia and in the United States. He is the author of seventeen stage scripts and co-author of another eight. He frequently collaborates with director Jillian Keiley, current Artistic Director of English Theatre at Canada’s National Arts Centre. He was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Drama for Tempting Providence and Butler’s Marsh in 2004, and won the award for Afterimage in 2010. Tempting Providence, directed by Keiley and produced by Theatre Newfoundland Labrador (Corner Brook, Newfoundland), is entering its thirteenth year of Canadian and international touring. He has been writer in residence at Artistic Fraud, Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre, Playwrights Workshop Montreal, Forest Forge Theatre, (Hampshire, UK), and Memorial University of Newfoundland, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, and The National Theatre School of Canada. His plays Oil and Water and The Colony of Unrequited Dreams each premiered in sold out runs in St. John’s and went on to tour Canada. In 2016 he premiered his first opera, Ours, with composer John Estacio (Opera on the Avalon) and released his first book of short fiction - Two Man Tent (Breakwater Books) - which went on to be a finalist for the Winterset Award. Robert is Artistic Director and playwright for Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland.

Patrick Foran – Producer

Patrick is the Managing Producer for Artistic Fraud. He joined the company in October 2012 to produce Under Wraps and a Canadian tour of Oil and Water. He is a graduate of Geogre Brown Theatre School and Memorial University’s Faculty of Business Administration.

As as an actor Patrick has performed with theatres in Newfoundland (Stephenville Theatre Festival, New Curtain Theatre, Rising Tide, Spirit of NL) and Ontario (Driftwood Theatre, Theatre PaNik, Nightwood Theatre). He is a founding member of The Citizen Theatre Collective in Toronto and Double Sure Theatre Co-op in St. John's.

Jillian Keiley – Founding Artistic Director, Director

Jillian Keiley is an award-winning director from St. John’s, Newfoundland and founder of Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland. Ms. Keiley has directed and taught across Canada and has worked internationally. Her collaboration with playwright Robert Chafe in the creation of Tempting Providence for Theatre Newfoundland Labrador resulted in a decade-long run of the beloved production across the country and abroad. Ms. Keiley received her BFA in Theatre from York University, and was the winner of the prestigious Siminovitch Prize for Directing in 2004. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Memorial University and was the winner of the Canada Council’s John Hirsch Prize. She also works regularly as an instructor with the National Theatre School of Canada. Ms. Keiley assumed her role as NAC English Theatre Artistic Director in August 2012.